genetically modifiedhttps://www.businessinsider.com/category/genetically-modified
en-usSat, 25 May 2019 12:10:27 -0400Sat, 25 May 2019 12:10:27 -0400The latest news on genetically modified from Business Insiderhttps://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttps://www.businessinsider.com
https://www.businessinsider.com/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-to-be-released-in-africa-2018-9For the first time, researchers will release genetically engineered mosquitoes in Africahttps://www.businessinsider.com/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-to-be-released-in-africa-2018-9
Tue, 11 Sep 2018 12:07:00 -0400Ike Swetlitz
<p><img src="https://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5b968964b354cd1f008b5ebe-2400/genetically modified mosquitoes ap.jpg" border="0" alt="genetically modified mosquitoes ap" data-mce-source="Andre Penner/AP" /></p><p></p>
<ul class="summary-list">
<li>Mosquitoes will be the first genetically engineered animal to be released into the wild in Africa.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Scientists in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Uganda are planning to eventually let loose "gene drive" mosquitoes&nbsp;that would contain a genetic mutation that could significantly and quickly reduce the mosquito population.</li>
<li>It's a key step in the broader efforts to use bioengineering to eliminate malaria in the region.</li>
</ul>
<p>The government of Burkina Faso granted scientists permission to release genetically engineered mosquitoes anytime this year or next, researchers announced Wednesday. It's a key step in the broader efforts to use bioengineering to eliminate malaria in the region.</p>
<p>The release, which scientists are hoping to execute this month, will be the first time that any genetically engineered animal is released into the wild in Africa. While these particular mosquitoes won't have any mutations related to malaria transmission, researchers are hoping<span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/14/malaria-mosquitoes-burkina-faso/">their release, and the work that led up to it</a>, will help improve the perception of the research and trust in the science among regulators and locals alike. It will also inform future releases.</p>
<p>Teams in three African countries &mdash; Burkina Faso, Mali, and Uganda &mdash; are building the groundwork to eventually let loose "gene drive" mosquitoes, which would contain a mutation that would significantly and quickly reduce the mosquito population. Genetically engineered mosquitoes have already been released in places like<span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2018/02/09/oxitec-mobile-unit-mosquitoes-brazil/">Brazil</a><span>&nbsp;</span>and<span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.caymancompass.com/2017/10/24/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-in-cayman-swat-wild-population/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Cayman Islands</a>, though animals with gene drives have never been released in the wild.</p>
<p><span>In Africa, the project's success depends on more than just the science of genetic engineering. The people who live in the areas where the mosquitoes will be released must give their consent, researchers must staff and maintain labs to work with genetically modified animals, and regulators must accept the new technology. The impending release of these mosquitoes serves as a stress test for the whole system.</span></p>
<p>"We're seeing all those other pieces that are as important, if not more important, than the science itself, lined up and actually being executed in sequence," said Philip Welkhoff, malaria director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which dedicated $70 million to support the research teams in the three countries.</p>
<p>Burkina Faso's national biosafety authority granted permission on August 10 for scientists to release up to 10,000 genetically engineered mosquitoes, said Delphine Thizy, director of stakeholder engagement for the "Target Malaria" project, which coordinates the teams across the three African countries, along with researchers in England and Italy. The government's decision was made public in Burkina Faso Wednesday.</p>
<p><span>These mosquitoes, unlike their "gene drive" counterparts, are not intended to have a lasting impact on the insect population. They have something called a "sterile male" mutation &mdash; none of the male mosquitoes that will be released will be able to have offspring, said Abdoulaye Diabate, the lead researcher in Burkina Faso.</span></p>
<p>Nearly all will be male, but less than one percent might be female &mdash; which are the only members of the species that bite. If any bite a human, they will not pass on any genetically modified material, Diabate said.</p>
<p>All of the modified mosquitoes the group will release are also weaker than natural mosquitoes, so they should die off in a matter of months, Thizy said.</p>
<p>The scientists plan to release the mosquitoes some time this month in Bana, a village in the western part of the country, close to the research laboratory where the scientists work. A group of six leaders in that village signed off on the project in May 2018.</p>
<p>Bana's residents, as well as people who live in two other nearby villages where the scientists have been doing research, were informed of the government's decision Tuesday, Thizy said.</p>
<p>Few Bana residents raised concerns about the project, Lea Pare, who leads the team's outreach in Burkina Faso, told STAT. Her team worked hard to address questions about the science behind their efforts &mdash; including concerns about whether those "sterile males" might somehow pass on that sterile status to humans. (It doesn't work that way.) And her team even brought in linguists and worked with the village's residents to develop a standard vocabulary of scientific phrases in Dioula, the local language, which doesn't have words for ideas like "gene."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-supports-gmos-reddit-ama-2018-2" >Bill Gates calls GMOs 'perfectly healthy' — and scientists say he's right</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-to-be-released-in-africa-2018-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mosquitoes-bite-you-more-if-you-do-5-things-2017-7">5 things that make mosquitoes bite you more</a></p> https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-supports-gmos-reddit-ama-2018-2Bill Gates calls GMOs 'perfectly healthy' — and scientists say he's righthttps://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-supports-gmos-reddit-ama-2018-2
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:38:00 -0500Erin Brodwin
<p><img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5993486ef1a850bb028b5255-936/gettyimages-480215192.jpg" alt="Bill Gates" data-mce-source="Scott Olson / Getty Images"/></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>In a Reddit &#34;Ask Me Anything&#34; thread on Tuesday, Bill Gates called genetically modified organisms &#34;perfectly healthy.&#34;</strong></li>
<li><strong>Gates also said he saw the breeding technique as an important tool in the fight to end world hunger and malnutrition.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Though it may seem controversial, Gates&#39; stance is in line with that of most scientists who study GMOs.</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr/>
<p>Bill Gates has a message for those advocating against genetically modified organisms: I&#39;m disappointed.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/80ow6w/im_bill_gates_cochair_of_the_bill_melinda_gates/dux50sc/">Reddit &#34;Ask Me Anything&#34; thread on Tuesday</a>, Gates said that not only does he view genetically modified foods as &#34;perfectly healthy,&#34; but that he sees them as a promising tool in a wider array of resources in the fight to reduce world hunger.</p>
<p>&#34;GMO foods are perfectly healthy and the technique has the possibility to reduce starvation and malnutrition when it is reviewed in the right way,&#34; Gates wrote. &#34;I don&#39;t stay away from non-GMO foods but it is disappointing that people view it as better.&#34;</p>
<p>Gates&#39; view may strike some as controversial, as many people think that genetically modified foods are dangerous.</p>
<p>In recent years, companies have submitted <a href="http://www.nongmoproject.org/product-verification/faqs/">more than 43,000 products</a> to the <a href="https://www.nongmoproject.org/">Non-GMO Project</a>, an organization that certifies products that don&#39;t contain genetically modified ingredients. And sales of such products are skyrocketing — today, they represent more than <a href="https://www.nongmoproject.org/product-verification/faqs/">$22 billion in yearly sales</a>, the organization says.</p>
<p>But Gates&#39; stance is in line with that of most scientists who study the topic.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53051c17ecad043f3a01f9fa-1066/eating-healthy-1.jpg" alt="eating healthy" data-mce-source="Flickr/Sonny Abesamis" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/enerva/10132360493/"/>Organizations like the <a href="http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309092094" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Academy of Sciences</a>, the <a href="http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/AAAS_GM_statement.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>, and the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/pdf/a_decade_of_eu-funded_gmo_research.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Commission</a> have publicly said genetically modified foods are safe to eat. A <a href="http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2013/10/massive-review-reveals-consensus-on-gmo-safety.html"> large 2013 study</a> on GMOs found no &#34;significant hazards directly connected with the use of genetically engineered crops.&#34;</p>
<p>And <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-foods-looked-like-before-genetic-modification">nearly all the food we eat today</a> has been genetically modified in some way. Dozens of crops, from corn to watermelon, have been selectively bred for thousands of years to give us the traits we find desirable, like large amounts of sweet, edible flesh, or small seeds.</p>
<p>And many other products — some of them life-saving — might not exist without genetically modified ingredients.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/gmo.html">Insulin</a>, the medication that people with diabetes depend on to regulate their blood sugar, is made with such ingredients, while the cotton used to make the shirt you&#39;re wearing <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption.aspx">was most likely genetically modified</a>.</p>
<p>Several experts say the &#34;GMO&#34; label does a disservice to the products made with genetically modified ingredients. The process of genetic modification is a breeding method, much like other recent advances in agriculture.</p>
<p>&#34;What are we labeling here, DNA?&#34; <a href="http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/faculty/vaneenennaam/">Alison Van Eenennaam</a>, a professor of animal genomics at the University of California at Davis, recently told Business Insider. &#34;There&#39;s DNA in everything, so good luck with that.&#34;</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gmo-controversy-beginning-fruit-2017-6" >A Cornell scientist saved an $11-million industry — and ignited the GMO wars</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-supports-gmos-reddit-ama-2018-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/avengers-infinity-war-thanos-killed-half-all-life-earth-endangered-species-2019-4">There are 7.7 billion humans on Earth today. Here's what would actually happen if Thanos destroyed 50% of all life on the planet.</a></p> https://www.businessinsider.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-designer-babies-2016-3Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why designer babies are a bad ideahttps://www.businessinsider.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-designer-babies-2016-3
Wed, 30 Mar 2016 10:19:33 -0400Darren Weaver
<div><div>
<script src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script><div class="g-ytsubscribe" data-channelid="UCVLZmDKeT-mV4H3ToYXIFYg" data-layout="full" data-count="hidden"></div>
</div></div>
<p class="embed-spacer"></p>
<p>The future of genetics might someday open up and allow us to <a href="https://www.techinsider.io/why-we-should-allow-designer-babies-2015-8">create children</a> in a lab, designed to our exact specifications. But astrophysicist and "StarTalk Radio" host <a href="https://www.techinsider.io/category/ndgt-explains-everything">Neil deGrasse Tyson</a> doesn't think that's such a good idea.</p>
<p><em>Produced by <a href="https://www.techinsider.io/author/darren-weaver">Darren Weaver</a> and <a href="https://www.techinsider.io/author/kamelia-angelova">Kamelia Angelova</a>. <em>Additional production by <a href="https://www.techinsider.io/author/kevin-reilly">Kevin Reilly</a>.</em></em></p>
<p><strong>Follow TI:</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/techinsider">On Facebook</a></p>
<hr>
<p><em><a href="http://www.startalkradio.net/" target="_blank">StarTalk Radio</a> is a podcast and radio program hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, where comic co-hosts, guest celebrities, and scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the</em><em> universe. Follow <a href="https://bit.ly/101kXMg" target="_blank">StarTalk Radio on Twitter</a>, and watch StarTalk Radio <a href="http://bit.ly/10mlKa2" target="_blank">"Behind the Scenes" on YouTube</a>.</em></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-designer-babies-2016-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.businessinsider.com/what-genetically-modified-organisms-are-in-the-us-2015-916 genetically modified foods that are critical to the US food supplyhttps://www.businessinsider.com/what-genetically-modified-organisms-are-in-the-us-2015-9
Wed, 21 Oct 2015 05:11:00 -0400Rebecca Harrington
<p><img style="float:right;" src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a7dd089585788b45aa-1024-685/woman shopping at grocery store.jpg" alt="Woman Shopping at Grocery Store" data-mce-source="Flickr / Anthony Albright" data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/anthonyalbright/4713106699/in/photolist-bobcgs-6YdVnJ-3uS3j3-iLcPy9-55wS4V-bbqP64-cWfFTC-68qX7h-krJJcU-kKiAf-3aZFJn-kUw4M8-oKzRta-8btUqk-nqQtWD-onj5Hk-nGR51X-nqyj4G-oSxpQd-magYkV-dazADC-4n2rr-fQ26Wz-5p6De-9dDiFT-55wS6V-kUypWK-71YoH3-g2Qv1-8xAQ5W-2jdi3J-qgRxtG-dLMPdu-gukrE-7bVaJd-4sMAyi-pEAMat-6h9ZFK-4n2f4-7Dg9MB-983TaP-fGXAL5-77EFC4-9ajjwJ-4Sc8Wi-xL6KN-4Ji8Kc-54QD8D-aqTwE5-n1xMMz"/></p><p>&#34;Genetically modified&#34; (GM) can technically refer to the majority of fruits and vegetables found in supermarkets today.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/foods-before-genetic-modification-2015-8">Humans have been genetically modifying plants</a> since we first started domesticating and breeding them to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-that-wouldnt-exist-without-gmos-2015-8">look and taste the way we wanted them to</a>. By combining plants with desirable traits, we have altered their DNA over millennia in a so-called &#34;natural&#34; fashion.</p>
<p>But when people refer to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, they typically mean those which scientists have deliberately altered the genome using scientific <a href="http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetic-recombination-514">DNA modifying techniques</a> in a lab.</p>
<p>While the concern over GM foods is growing in the general public, a majority of scientists agree that they are safe.</p>
<p>In a Pew Research Center survey from earlier this year, <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/">57% of the general public said they thought GM foods were unsafe</a>, while 88% of <a href="http://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> members said they are generally safe.</p>
<p>All genetically engineered crops grown in the United States have been reviewed and approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and given &#34;nonregulated status.&#34;</p>
<p>Just because a crop has this approval doesn&#39;t mean it&#39;s being widely distributed or even grown in the US, though. The USDA has approved GM crops that aren&#39;t eaten, as well, like cotton and roses.</p>
<p>This definition also means that not all of the produce in your grocery store is GM even if a GM variety exists.</p>
<p>But these are all of the GM crops that can be grown, sold and consumed in the US today.</p><h3>GM crops are on the rise, partly due to the fact that they work. Farmers grew genetically modified (GM) crops on more than 73 million hectares of land across the US in 2014.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a7dd089585788b45ac-400-300/gm-crops-are-on-the-rise-partly-due-to-the-fact-that-they-work-farmers-grew-genetically-modified-gm-crops-on-more-than-73-million-hectares-of-land-across-the-us-in-2014.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/49/executivesummary/default.asp">International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech</a>.&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Many GM foods are altered to resist herbicides or insecticides, which makes the crops more productive — and lets farmers use fewer of these chemicals. Others are given genes that help them ward off diseases, allowing them to grow when infections have wiped out all of their non-GM cousins.</h3>
<img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/562756a7dd089585788b45ad-400-300/many-gm-foods-are-altered-to-resist-herbicides-or-insecticides-which-makes-the-crops-more-productive--and-lets-farmers-use-fewer-of-these-chemicals-others-are-given-genes-that-help-them-ward-off-diseases-allowing-them-to-grow-when-infections-have-wiped-out-all-of-their-non-gm-cousins.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Most GM plants aren't even eaten directly by humans, but consumed as meat from animals that eat them, or as part of processed foods.</h3>
<img src="https://static4.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45ae-400-300/most-gm-plants-arent-even-eaten-directly-by-humans-but-consumed-as-meat-from-animals-that-eat-them-or-as-part-of-processed-foods.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>A tomato was actually the first GM crop approved by the USDA, in 1992. It was resistant to ripening. Several other GM tomatoes have been okayed over the years, for resistance to insect pests and to make the fruit thicker.</h3>
<img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45af-400-300/a-tomato-was-actually-the-first-gm-crop-approved-by-the-usda-in-1992-it-was-resistant-to-ripening-several-other-gm-tomatoes-have-been-okayed-over-the-years-for-resistance-to-insect-pests-and-to-make-the-fruit-thicker.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Yellow Straightneck, Yellow Crookneck, and green Zucchini squash have all been genetically modified. They were first approved in 1994 to protect the squash against viruses.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b0-400-300/yellow-straightneck-yellow-crookneck-and-green-zucchini-squash-have-all-been-genetically-modified-they-were-first-approved-in-1994-to-protect-the-squash-against-viruses.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="http://www.monsanto.com/products/pages/genetically-modified-squash-frequently-asked-questions.aspx">Monsanto</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Monsanto was the first company to receive permission to sell GM soybeans in 1994. Herbicide tolerant GM soybeans made up 94% of the acres planted in 2015, many of which were turned into oil to fry other foods. Soybeans have also been altered to be resistant to insects, and to be lower in saturated fats.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b1-400-300/monsanto-was-the-first-company-to-receive-permission-to-sell-gm-soybeans-in-1994-herbicide-tolerant-gm-soybeans-made-up-94-of-the-acres-planted-in-2015-many-of-which-were-turned-into-oil-to-fry-other-foods-soybeans-have-also-been-altered-to-be-resistant-to-insects-and-to-be-lower-in-saturated-fats.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/185551/biotechcrops_d.html">USDA</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Though it has the worst name ever, rapeseed has been modified by several companies to make it pesticide tolerant, and to give it a higher oil content, since its first approval in 1994. It's used as animal feed and turned into vegetable and canola oils.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b2-400-300/though-it-has-the-worst-name-ever-rapeseed-has-been-modified-by-several-companies-to-make-it-pesticide-tolerant-and-to-give-it-a-higher-oil-content-since-its-first-approval-in-1994-its-used-as-animal-feed-and-turned-into-vegetable-and-canola-oils.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/808/GE%20canola.pdf?sequence=1">Cornell University Extension</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>The potato has seen several nonregulated statuses for GM developments, which do everything from protect the tuber from potato beetles to cutting down on bruising. It's the newest approval from the USDA that was just handed down in September, but the first was back in 1995.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b3-400-300/the-potato-has-seen-several-nonregulated-statuses-for-gm-developments-which-do-everything-from-protect-the-tuber-from-potato-beetles-to-cutting-down-on-bruising-its-the-newest-approval-from-the-usda-that-was-just-handed-down-in-september-but-the-first-was-back-in-1995.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Perhaps the most well-known, corn received its first nonregulated status 20 years ago, and now the vast majority of it that's planted in the US is GM. Corn can be GM to be pesticide, insect and virus resistant, as well as drought tolerant. It gets turned into corn syrup, which sweetens tons of processed foods.</h3>
<img src="https://static4.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b4-400-300/perhaps-the-most-well-known-corn-received-its-first-nonregulated-status-20-years-ago-and-now-the-vast-majority-of-it-thats-planted-in-the-us-is-gm-corn-can-be-gm-to-be-pesticide-insect-and-virus-resistant-as-well-as-drought-tolerant-it-gets-turned-into-corn-syrup-which-sweetens-tons-of-processed-foods.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The GM papaya, which has a modification that protects the fruit against the deadly ringspot virus, helped save the papaya industry in Hawaii. The first one was approved by the USDA in 1996.</h3>
<img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b5-400-300/the-gm-papaya-which-has-a-modification-that-protects-the-fruit-against-the-deadly-ringspot-virus-helped-save-the-papaya-industry-in-hawaii-the-first-one-was-approved-by-the-usda-in-1996.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/local-news/papaya-gmo-success-story.html">Hawaii Tribune-Herald</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Chicory, which is closely related to endive, was altered to be resistant to a pesticide and to have the male plants be sterile. The USDA approved it in 1997.</h3>
<img src="https://static6.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b6-400-300/chicory-which-is-closely-related-to-endive-was-altered-to-be-resistant-to-a-pesticide-and-to-have-the-male-plants-be-sterile-the-usda-approved-it-in-1997.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Roundup Ready herbicide resistant sugarbeets were the fastest adopted GM crop in history, according to Monsanto. The first determination of nonregulated status for beets occurred in 1998. Sugarbeets account for 20% of the world's sugar.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b7-400-300/roundup-ready-herbicide-resistant-sugarbeets-were-the-fastest-adopted-gm-crop-in-history-according-to-monsanto-the-first-determination-of-nonregulated-status-for-beets-occurred-in-1998-sugarbeets-account-for-20-of-the-worlds-sugar.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Sources: <a href="http://www.monsanto.com/products/pages/roundup-ready-sugarbeets.aspx">Monsanto</a> and <a href="http://www.eastagri.org/publications/pub_docs/4_Sugar_web.pdf">EastArgi</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Rice was genetically modified to be herbicide resistant, and received its first USDA approval in 1999.</h3>
<img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b8-400-300/rice-was-genetically-modified-to-be-herbicide-resistant-and-received-its-first-usda-approval-in-1999.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Flax can be made into linens and oil, and it can be eaten as seeds or sprouts. Its USDA nonregulated status for a gene that confers herbicide resistance was approved in 1999.</h3>
<img src="https://static4.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45b9-400-300/flax-can-be-made-into-linens-and-oil-and-it-can-be-eaten-as-seeds-or-sprouts-its-usda-nonregulated-status-for-a-gene-that-confers-herbicide-resistance-was-approved-in-1999.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>GM tobacco that contained less nicotine than its natural counterpart received nonregulated status in 2002. (It's not a food, but you still ingest it.)</h3>
<img src="https://static4.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45ba-400-300/gm-tobacco-that-contained-less-nicotine-than-its-natural-counterpart-received-nonregulated-status-in-2002-its-not-a-food-but-you-still-ingest-it.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The USDA first granted nonregulated status to alfalfa for herbicide resistance in 2005. The crop can also be altered to decrease its lignin content so it's easier for cows to digest it. The most common place humans might eat it would be as sprouts in a sandwich or salad.</h3>
<img src="https://static5.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45bb-400-300/the-usda-first-granted-nonregulated-status-to-alfalfa-for-herbicide-resistance-in-2005-the-crop-can-also-be-altered-to-decrease-its-lignin-content-so-its-easier-for-cows-to-digest-it-the-most-common-place-humans-might-eat-it-would-be-as-sprouts-in-a-sandwich-or-salad.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=15869">University of California</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>The GM plum was developed to be resistant to a virus, and received approval in 2007.</h3>
<img src="https://static5.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45bc-400-300/the-gm-plum-was-developed-to-be-resistant-to-a-virus-and-received-approval-in-2007.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Canola seeds are 44% oil, which is why most of the plants go into making oil for frying and baking. The USDA granted its first GM petition for herbicide tolerant canola seeds in 2013.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562756a8dd089585788b45bd-400-300/canola-seeds-are-44-oil-which-is-why-most-of-the-plants-go-into-making-oil-for-frying-and-baking-the-usda-granted-its-first-gm-petition-for-herbicide-tolerant-canola-seeds-in-2013.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="http://www.uscanola.com/what-is-canola/">US Canola Association</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>The GM non-browning apple made by Okanagan Specialty Fruits was just approved by the USDA in February 2015.</h3>
<img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/562756a9dd089585788b45be-400-300/the-gm-non-browning-apple-made-by-okanagan-specialty-fruits-was-just-approved-by-the-usda-in-february-2015.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>New varieties of genetically modified foods will continue to enter the market. And while every genetically modified plant is different, they'll all have to pass the FDA's and USDA's strict safety tests to get there.</h3>
<img src="https://static5.businessinsider.com/image/562756a9dd089585788b45bf-400-300/new-varieties-of-genetically-modified-foods-will-continue-to-enter-the-market-and-while-every-genetically-modified-plant-is-different-theyll-all-have-to-pass-the-fdas-and-usdas-strict-safety-tests-to-get-there.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/>